‘Africa’ Review: Aging and its Discontents

In Oren Gerner’s “Africa,” a son observes as his father tries, futilely, to deny the inexorable advance of old age. Based on the real-life experiences of Gerner’s family and friends in the Israeli community settlement of Nirit, and starring the director’s parents and relatives as themselves, this docu-fictional drama finds Meir, Gerner’s 68-year-old father, at a painful crossroads.

Meir is a reluctant retiree whose fragile pride is shattered when he loses his post as the organizer of the town’s annual ceremony to a group of teens. Bristling against a sense of obsolescence, he throws himself into building a bed for his grandson, undeterred by a heart condition that has rendered him frail.

Enacting quotidian situations from their everyday lives, Meir and his therapist wife, Maya, offer quiet, unshowy performances — if you can call them that. Even when the writing is a bit forced — as in some brusque exchanges between Meir and his grandchildren, which underline generational differences rather pointedly — the old man conveys a genuine desperation. At times his wounded masculinity borders on the pathetic, particularly when he bickers with Maya, who exudes the infinite patience that only comes with a long, loving companionship.

These unfiltered moments are occasionally undercut by Gerner’s tendency for broad-strokes affectation. The film’s title is one such unfounded flourish, drawn from the home videos of a family trip to Namibia, which Gerner weaves arbitrarily through the film. As for the Gerners’ own locale, the film never delves into cultural context, even when Meir discusses his time as a soldier or comments that he shares a birthday with his nation. The result is a bittersweet family portrait that, though relatable, lacks the specificity that makes for truly universal cinema.

Africa
Not rated. In Hebrew, with subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 22 minutes. In theaters.